Pavement



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. SNYDER, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

PAVEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,687, dated March 28, 1882,

' Application filed January 24, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. SNYDER,

. following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in street-pavements; and it consists, first, in providingastreet-pavementwi-thawoodent'oundation composed of planks arranged transversely, and connected on their upper sides by means of narrow strips or binders placed across said planks and parallel with the sides of the street, whereby the foundation-planks are firmly secured and receptacles formed for holding the dirt covering; and, second, a pavement composed of a plank foundation, a layer of dirt placed thereon, a layer of stone or shells over the dirt, and a top dressing of gravel, or gravel and asphalt, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a cross-section of astreet, showing the arrangement of the parts of my improved pavement. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections showing modified forms of my invention, and Fig. 4 is a plan of the wooden foundation.

Like letters indicate like parts in the several views.

The planks A, which form the foundation of the pavement, may be of any suitable wood, and are preferably creosoted' to retard decay and insure durability. These planks are arranged transversely between the curbs in close contact with each other, and are securely connected by means of the narrow strips or stringers B, which are' nailed or otherwise secured to and across the planks A in a direction parallel with the sides of the street.

It will be seen that the strips B not only serve to connect the planks A, but by being placed at suitable intervals they form, in connection with said planks, a series of parallel troughs or receptacles for the dirt covering or layer 0, and thus prevent it from sliding or settling toward the sides of the street. By

this construction the usual tendency to settling at the crown or center of the street is obviated.-

Upon the dirt layer 0,1 prefer to place a layer of cobbles or broken stone, D, as shown in Fig. 1, the insterstices 0r openings to be filled with gravel or gravel and cement, or, if preferred, with cement alone, and over this a layer of fige gga y eh lil, with which, if desired, may be incorporated a suitable quantity of melted asphalt, or the asphalt may be poured over the gravel. This top dressing should be well rolled, so as to pack the mass and produce an even surface.

The asphalt may be dispensed with, if desired, and gravel alone employed for the top dressing.

Instead of the cobbles or broken stone D and gravel surface, shown in Fig. 1, the pavement may be finished by embedding stone blocks F in the dirt O, as shown in Fig. 2; or a surface may be formed by employing a layer of shells, G, as shown in Fig. 3.

It desired,the shells may have a covering'of gravel, or gravel and asphalt, or of asphalt alone; but an excellent road-surface may be had with the shells alone.

The road-bed is preferably arched, as shown,

for the purpose of securing greater firmness and permitting the escape of water without liability of injuring the wood foundation or causing settling of thc'pavement.

What I claim is- 1. A foundation for street-pavements, consisting of planks arched transversely across the street, and connected bylongitudinal wooden strips secured atintervals across said planks in a direction parallel with the sides of the street, and a top covering of earth, substantially as shown and described.

2. A street-pavement consisting of planks arranged transversely across the street, and connected at intervals by longitudinal wooden o strips secured to said planks, a layer of dirt resting on the foundation, a layer of broken stones or shells placed above the dirt, and a top dressing of fine gravel, substantially as shown and described.

CHAS. A. SNYDER. Witnesses:

FREDERIO 000K, F. F. TRINGHARD. 

